Appcare: how do you successfully use messaging apps as a service channel?

Since messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, Twitter and WhatsApp are being used on a wide scale, it is impossible to imagine organisations without appcare as a service channel. But how do you use appcare successfully, what are the benefits of social messaging and why are messaging apps more than just a service channel?

WhatsApp: the most important messaging channel in the world

Research by NewCom Research has shown that WhatsApp is still the number one social messaging app, both in the Netherlands and worldwide. No less than 82% of the Dutch population use WhatsApp. Worldwide, the app has over 1,5 billion active users in 180 countries.

In many countries, including the Netherlands, WhatsApp is now the most popular communication channel. This is the reason why many organisations have been wanting to get access to this feature for quite some time, but until recently this was not possible, at least officially. Fortunately, WhatsApp has opened the channel since August last year, so companies can use the app to get in touch with their customers!

It is important that your organisation chooses an official WhatsApp integration that has been approved by WhatsApp. The official API integration gives you instant access to the delivery statistics of your messages and has a secure communication with end-to-end encryption. An example of this is our official business integration with our partner CM.com.

Benefits of appcare for organisations and customers

WhatsApp is still popular as ever as a messaging channel, although customers still also know how to find their way to Facebook Messenger. But what are the main benefits of appcare for both customers and organisations? There are a number of important reasons to start communicating via private messaging channels:

Communication via messaging apps is very accessible

It allows for personal contact through private conversations

Sending photos, videos, documents and voice recordings is easy

Accessibility: service can be provided 24 hours a day

#1. Communication via messaging apps is very accessible

The threshold for sending a message via WhatsApp or other messaging apps is low. A mobile phone is always close at hand and sending a message is incredibly easy. Research by the Klantinteractie Research Centrum has shown that the response time to WhatsApp should not exceed 10 minutes. So do take into account the need for a quick response, also in terms of the capacity of the service team.

#2. Personal contact thanks to private conversations

In today’s omni-channel world of texts, chats, messages and tweets, consumers increasingly want to communicate with organisations in the same way as with their family and friends, according to the ZenDesk Customer Experience Trendrapport 2019.The big difference between webcare and appcare is that appcare is private, while everyone can read or respond via public channels when using webcare. This makes appcare more personal, which is a great opportunity to build a good and confidential relationship with your customers. A great example of building such a personal relationship is ‘Nike on Demand’, with which Nike helps athletes to achieve their goals in a personal way through WhatsApp:

#3. Sending photos, videos, documents and voice recordings is easy

With WhatsApp and also Facebook Messenger you can also add attachments to a message, such as photos, video or voice recordings. This can help to clarify a question or problem. This helps customers and organizations to understand each other better, which may result in a quicker and even more efficient conversation.

#4. Accessibility: service can be provided 24 hours a day

Sending a message is possible at any time of the day, and the service does not stop before 9.00 am or after 5.00 pm. There is a good chance that your service team will not be in the office 24 hours a day, but if that is the case, you could consider using a chatbot, so that customers still receive an answer outside opening hours. For example, KLM is able to reach its passengers 24/7 via Facebook Messenger. This way, you always have your boarding pass at hand in time.

A quick response and qualified agents are important

The figures from the trend report show that customers appreciate a quick response and qualified agents the most in solving their questions. Being available 24/7 is important for more than a third of the respondents. And a quarter thinks friendliness is important. Almost all of these aspects can be dealt with by organising the appcare within your organisation well.

Do you want to know how your customers experience your communication or service? Then it might be a good idea to use a tool that actively measures NPS and thus feedback from your customers. An example of this is the tooling of our partner InSocial.

Would you like to know more about appcare or messaging?

Curious about the extensive possibilities of appcare or messaging? Then read this white paper: the ultimate guide for personal customer contact via messaging and live chat.

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